1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an earset, and more particularly to an earset having a cover for covering or exposing an ear speaker according to its rotation or attachment/detachment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, mobile terminals refer to handheld devices which are capable of providing a user and another party with wireless communication service, and include Hand Held Phones (HHPs), Cordless Telephone 2 (CT-2) cellular phones, digital phones, Personal Communication Services (PCS) phones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). Mobile terminals can be classified into a bar type, a flip type and a folder type according to their outward appearances. A bar-type mobile terminal has a bar-shaped single housing. A flip-type mobile terminal has a bar-shaped housing and a flip cover rotatably connected to the housing. A folder-type mobile terminal has a bar-shaped housing and a folder rotatably connected to the housing by means of a hinge device. Also, depending on where a user carries a mobile terminal, mobile terminals can be classified into a neck wearable type or a wrist type. A neck wearable type can be worn around the neck and a wrist type on the wrist.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional folder-type mobile terminal. The folder-type mobile terminal includes a main housing 1 and a folder 2. The main housing 1 includes a plurality of keys 1a and a microphone 1b. The folder 2 includes a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) display unit 2a and a speaker 2b. A hinge device 3 is installed between the main housing 1 and the folder 2 in order to rotatably connect the folder 2 to the main housing 1, thereby allowing the folder 2 to be opened up to an angle of about 145° to 155°. Also, the folder-type mobile terminal includes an antenna (not shown) at the top portion of the main body 1.
Keeping pace with the trend toward small and slim designs, various earsets are generally used to improve portability of the small and slim communication/audio devices, such as mobile phones, portable cassette players, Moving Picture Expert Group Layer 3 (MP3) players, portable radios.
An earset 10 in FIG. 1 includes an ear microphone and a headset with a Bluetooth function. The earset 10 can be a necklace type or an ear-hook type (not shown) which can be fitted around the ear.
As shown in FIG. 1, the necklace-type earset 10 further includes a necklace string 11 which can be worn around the neck of a user. A speaker 20 of a predetermined length is connected to a predetermined portion of the string 11. A mouthpiece 30 integrally including a casing 31, a microphone 32 and a transceiver button 33 for sending or receiving a signal to or from the main body 1 is provided at another predetermined portion of the string 11. An earset jack 41 which is electrically connected to the main body 1 and a knot string 42 which can be tied on top of the main body 1 are provided at a lower portion of the string 11. Also, a connecting member 40 is integrally coupled to the string 11.
Such a conventional necklace-type earset has an exposed speaker portion. The exposed speaker is easily breakable by a contact, and can be contaminated with dust or dirt. The speaker and the mouthpiece provided altogether on the earset string increase the overall volume of the earset.
An ear-hook type earset has a pair of ear hooks which can be fitted over both ears of a user. Each ear hook having a hook shape is closely fitted over the apex of the ear.
However, the ear hooks for over-the-ear use may deteriorate the appearance of the ear-hook type earset and increase the earset size. To carry the earset in a bag, sufficient space is needed due to the irregular protruding shape of the ear hooks. Also, the speaker provided in each ear hook is always exposed, making it easily breakable by an external impact.
The speaker which should be fitted into the ear is protruded outward, which further increases the overall size of the earset. Also, the exposed cover of the speaker is easily damaged and contaminated.
Since no separate casing is provided to contain the ear-hook type earset, the user has to carry the earset in their hands or put it somewhere after using the earset. Therefore, the ear-hook type can be easily lost.